


a comforting weight

by TheSpaceCoyote



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Candy Witch AU, Caretaking, Chubby Armitage Hux, Crack Treated Seriously, Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Kylo Ren Needs a Hug, M/M, Married Life, Minor Injuries, Witch Kylo Ren
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:14:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21829570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSpaceCoyote/pseuds/TheSpaceCoyote
Summary: Kylo has spent months taking care of Hux, helping him heal from his previous, stressful life back in the city. But late one night, Hux finds out that he's not the only one that bears scars from the past.Sometimes, even the most powerful of witches needs a hug and helping hand.Sequel to"the sweetest thing."
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren
Comments: 5
Kudos: 51
Collections: Home Sweet Home





	a comforting weight

**Author's Note:**

> Another Candy Witch AU drabble! What can I say, this is my fluff crutch I've been leaning on to help get me through TRoS stress. 
> 
> Thanks to the crew behind this AU for helping me brainstorm the idea! We've covered a lot of how Kylo helped Hux deal with his past, and I thought it might be interesting to explore the other side. Enjoy!

In his marshmallow bed, in his apple-scented room, in a house in the woods made out of candy and gingerbread, Hux was busy having some of the best sleep he’d ever had in his entire life. 

He never felt as relaxed as he did here. He hardly ever woke up intermittently during the night like he used to back when he lived amidst the hustle and bustle of the city—due to either his own anxiety, or the sudden blare of a disturbed car alarm, or any number of nighttime nuisances—and he was quite enjoying it. With more weight on his bones and a hearty helping of proper beauty rest, Hux felt the healthiest he’d been in years. 

So he was slightly confused when he blinked open his eyes and found the bedroom, and the world outside the isomalt windows, still dark. Though there was no clock in the room, Hux reasoned it must be the middle of the night. He furrowed his brow, about to go to back sleep once he found no evidence of what exactly had woken him up, when he heard a quiet sniff from the opposite side of the bed. Glancing up, he saw a dark figure sitting at the edge of the mattress, hunched over. Though it was hard to make out many details in the darkness, Hux would recognize the silhouette of that mop of messy, wavy hair anywhere. 

“Kylo?” Hux asked sleepily, propping himself up on one elbow. “Love, is that you?”

Kylo’s shoulders jerked slightly up to his ears. Hux heard him sniffle again, more harshly than before, as he rubbed his hand over his face. 

“Yeah. Sorry, didn't mean to wake you…” It was strange for Kylo’s voice to sound so hoarse and watery. He was usually somewhat cheery and warm in disposition, totally at odds with his dark, gothic attire. It was one of the things Hux loved about him, that infectious and unexpected hospitality and fondness he’d grown so accustomed to. 

So to hear him so hesitant, so heavy with sorrow and pain, immediately struck worry into Hux’s heart. Before Kylo could finish his statement, Hux sat up, scooting his bulk over to Kylo’s side of the bed. 

“Tell me what’s the matter. Did something happen?” Hux asked, no-nonsense yet concerned. Kylo had done such a great job taking care of him over these past couple of months, both physically and mentally, that it was impossible for Hux to disregard whatever might be causing him such late-night distress. 

“I...It’s fine. Pudding, go back to bed,” Kylo insisted, keeping his head turned slightly away from Hux even as he glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. But Hux wasn’t swayed. Huffing as he maneuvered the round bulk of his belly that he was still adjusting to, Hux reached up and lightly took Kylo’s chin in hand, turning him around to face him. 

Kylo didn’t fight it, but he flinched and let out a soft hiss when Hux finally got a good look at his face. In the moonlight filtering in through the bedroom window, Kylo’s skin glowed an even brighter pale than usual contrast highlighting everything from his dramatic brows, to his dark eyelashes, to the scattered kisses of moles across his face. But those were all familiar sights, parts of Kylo Hux had grown used to. They were not what made Hux pause, lips parted and eyes wide in confusion. 

He’d never asked about the scar on the right side of Kylo’s face, mostly out of politeness. He figured his husband would tell him when he was good and ready, and besides, the mark never looked that serious, little more than a thin, reddish line cutting over Kylo’s cheek and forehead. But what Hux saw now was far worse than the usual scar—a deep, wide furrow opening up Kylo’s face, filled with a bright, glowing blue as if someone was trying to forge a weapon in the messy gash sliced through his poor husband’s flesh. 

“Love…” Hux stared in shock, hand drifting up from Kylo’s chin to touch the stiff pucker of skin around the edge of the luminous wound. “How...who did this to you?”

Kylo’s eyes fell away from Hux’s face, downcast. For a moment his throat worked, as if he was drumming up the courage of strength to speak. Hux stroked his thumb beneath the scar, entranced and horrified by its brilliant blue depths in equal measure. 

“A long time ago. It was...during a duel,” Kylo said finally, sounding a little scattered and hesitant, as if worried Hux would criticize him for getting injured so grievously. “I was overconfident in my own abilities. Threw my weight around. And I paid the price.”

Hux pursed his lips, wanting to ask for more details but unsure if Kylo would provide them. He looked more fragile than Hux had ever seen him, strong, muscular frame trembling, eyes moist in the low lighting of the bedroom. He decided not to pry further, starting in on a new line of questioning.

“It looks deep. Does it hurt you?” Hux asked. Kylo nodded. 

“Sometimes. Magical wounds don’t heal like physical ones do. When it’s cold, or I’m…” Kylo took a shuddering breath, “ _anxious_ , sometimes the pain returns."

Hux frowned. “What do you have to be anxious about?” As far as Hux knew, Kylo lived the ideal life. Unbothered, in a house he’d built himself in the middle of a tranquil woods, with untold magical abilities that brought him an endless source of food and creature comforts. What could he possibly be lacking?

Unless…

“Love, did I...have I done something wrong?” Despite trying to focus on Kylo’s suffering, Hux’s heart squeezed with dread at the idea. He’d grown so happy living here with his new husband, spending days on end cuddling and chatting and enjoying endlessly sumptuous treats—but perhaps he’d been callous or neglectful in some way towards Kylo that could’ve caused this anxiety. Perhaps Kylo no longer wanted him, but was too afraid to say something. Perhaps Hux wasn’t a good enough husband after all, perhaps—

“It’s not that,” Kylo soothed, hand cradling the one Hux had pressed against his scarred cheek. “Please, don’t ever think it’s you.” His eyes swam with glistening tears, one spilling over to drip over their intertwined fingers. “I just...I get like this sometimes. When I have nightmares. Or I remember what it was like to be so alone.”

Hux nodded, his own anxieties abating a bit. Of course, he could understand how even an idyllic life like Kylo’s might’ve been lonely. Apart from Vader and the chickens in the backyard pen, there was no one else who had lived on the property with Kylo prior to Hux stumbling upon the quaint gingerbread cottage and getting wrapped up in the witch’s life. It would only be natural for Kylo to think back on those times, remember how he’d felt, and dredge up unpleasant feelings of longing and loneliness. Hux wasn’t all that different. Though he felt more than happy here, occasionally his thoughts drifted back to how his life had been in the city, the bad memories reigniting a dormant but recurrent fear that he might wake up one morning and find that his joyous new world and happy marriage had all been a part of some wicked illusion. 

He and Kylo really weren’t so different, in the end. 

“Well. You’re not alone now, are you?” Hux murmured, leaning in to touch their foreheads together. His other hand found Kylo’s strong thigh and started to rub it, keeping his fingers gentle but grounding. 

Kylo sniffed wetly. “No, but I—”

“ _Hush_ , love,” Hux crooned, moving Kylo’s head until it pillowed against his chest. He used to be flat as a board there, but now he had a nice shelf of plump flesh for Kylo to rest upon. “You need to get some rest. Don’t fret, I’ll watch over you. I may not have magic, but I’ve got a mean right hook that’ll take out any rogue duelists traipsing by our home.”

That got Kylo to chuckle, which warmed Hux’s heart. He stroked his fingers through tresses of black hair, lightly combing them out, watching how they fell like glossy curls of ink in the moonlight. His husband looked beautiful, even in distress, and if Hux wasn’t tired himself he was sure he could stay up all night just watching him, until the darkness faded away with the rosy dawn. 

“Are you alright to lie down and try to sleep again, now?” Hux asked. He almost wondered if Kylo had already fallen asleep sitting up, but after a moment, he felt him nod against his chest. Hux smiled gently. “Good boy,” Hux whispered, patting his head. “It’s going to be alright. I have you.”

With a little bit of effort, Hux managed to lie back down on his side, bringing his husband with him until they were lying facing one another. The curves of Hux’s plump body molded perfectly against Kylo’s strong frame, like a warm full body pillow, or a gigantic teddy bear. Kylo hugged him close as Hux rubbed his back and tucked his head beneath his chin, planting kisses into the messy crown of black hair until Kylo’s pained breath evened out against his chest. 

In the morning, Hux awoke to find Kylo sleeping peacefully next to him, scar graciously shrunk back to its previous, less serious state. Hux breathed a sigh of relief, smile creeping across his lips as he kissed Kylo’s marked cheek, before sliding out of bed. The floorboards creaked softly beneath his bare feet as he made his way to the kitchen, intent on surprising his husband for once with some breakfast in bed. After all, Kylo deserved it—and magic or not, Hux knew he could cook up a decent plate of eggs in a basket that would be sure to brighten both of their mornings. 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments for these sweet husbands are well appreciated! 
> 
> Hit me up on [Tumblr](http://thethespacecoyote.tumblr.com) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/heir_of_breath7/).


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